Saturday, January 7, 2012

Perfection

Perfection is a delicate word – a noble word for some, but also a slightly suggestive wine descriptor to me, even at times a pretentious ideal.

Wine is not about perfection to me. In fact pursuit for perfection – whatever the cost - can sometimes lead to a forced wine and a wine loosing the nerve of its raw material. The perfectionist quest - in order to seek comfort in the consensus consumer voice can be a delicate dance.

But the other day – I had a perfect wine….A Champagne:

2008 Cédric Bouchard “Les Ursules”

Blend: 100% Pinot Noir

Terroir: Argilo-calcaire

Vineyard: 0,9721ha located in Celles-sur-Ource

Age of vines: Planted in 1974

Production: 2.500 bottles

Dosage: 0 g/l

Disgorged: July-2010

Glass: Spiegelau Adina red wine “Water goblet”

It’s Friday – tradition: Champagne day. Often we share a bottle and talk about the week that passed and enjoy a really good meal. This time, something distracted us, so we didn’t really talk – I mean we talked - but it was about the Champagne.

Simply stunning aroma rises from the glass. It’s perfection, sheer beauty in a glass. I said it to my wife – “this Champagne is perfect”. She agreed. “I like there is no oak here” she replied.

Yes – very true. This Champagne is so pure and focused. Like always with the Champagnes of Cédric Bouchard it’s not so easy to write the tasting note, because it’s more an intellectual package, which only can be described if tasting it – and not something you just pick from the aroma wheel. Here is my best shot:

It’s like a laser beam with nothing sticking out. It holds stunning precision and purity with sensorial sweetness of really healthy and ripe fruit. I also detected something that reminded me of autolysis components even if they are still secondary. The other characters are crushed dried blackcurrant, black cherries, wheat flour, diamond dust (don’t ask) and an unheard weightless allure - yet with enormous intensity. The taste starts by a sleek wrapped currant perfume corset – then unfolding a mixture of a mineral clay soil attack and a dry salty finish with a really poised acidity. An unbelievable good bottle of Champagne – perfect.

I have realized perfection is not an illusion, but the two prime ingredients have to be included in the recipe: Creativity and authenticity.